Guelph, ON - How can they possibly live up to that? That is the question fans will be asking themselves entering the 2015-16 season after the Gryphons Men's Hockey team went on an unforgettable run last season, culminating in an OUA Championship and a CIS Bronze medal. While fans ponder that question, the players and coaches themselves on the Gryphons Men's Hockey team will instead focus on one thing - getting a win on Wednesday night (Oct. 7) in Windsor in the season opener versus the Lancers.

For the first time in almost 20 years the Gryphons Men's Hockey team will open the season as defending OUA champions. While this year's squad has lost a few key players from last year, including leading scorer Nick Huard and Captain Dan Broussard, the core of that championship group will be returning for the 2015-16 season. Defensemen Nick Trecapelli (Guelph, ON) returns for his fourth season and will be wearing the 'C' as the team's newly appointed Captain. At 6-2, 210, Trecapelli provides a physical presence on the Gryphon blueline, while also showcasing the ability to contribute on the offensive end - during last season's championship run, he led all defensemen in scoring including a game-tying goal in the National Semi-final versus UNB. Joining Nick on the blueline are a trio of players who impressed last season in what was their first seasons as Gryphons; Mac Nichol, Mark Raycroft and Reilly O'Connor will all look to log big minutes and play big roles on the U of G blueline as second year players.

Perhaps the most amount of depth on the roster is found in between the pipes where the Gryphons boast several goalies capable of grabbing the role as No. 1 guy. Andrew D'Agostini returns for his second year after a sensational rookie campaign in 2014-15. D'Agostini was named the Top Goalie at the CIS Championships in Halifax and was also the recipient of the Scott Yanchus Award as the top male rookie (from any sport) at the University of Guelph. Gryphon fans will also get to see a former New York Rangers prospect in net in Scott Stajcer (Cambridge, ON) who brings with him some valuable AHL experience from his time with the Hartford Wolfpack. Keith Hamilton and Chris McDougall round out a talented quartet of Gryphon goalies.

Up front, the Gryphons feature a returning cast of players who impressed as youngsters and who will now look to improve further with an added year of experience under their belts. Tryg Strand, Seth Swenson, Scott Simmonds and Andres Kopstals are all entering just their second year of eligibility but have already proven themselves to be impact players at the OUA/CIS level. Third year forward Rob De Fulviis is back after finishing 2nd on the team a year ago with 17 goals during the regular season, while 6-3, 250 pound forward Kyle Neuber returns for his final season after scoring the OT-winner back in March, helping the Gryphons clinch the Bronze medal at the CIS Championships.

As head coach Shawn Camp notes, "We have gone from the hunters to the hunted. We have a hard-working group, but we know it will be a tough road ahead and it will be all about how we handle our success from a year ago." Gryphons celebrate after sweeping Windsor in 2015 OUA West Final
Gryphons Key Losses
F - Nick Huard
D - Dan Broussard
F - Teal Burns
F- Jordan Mock

Gryphons Key Returning Players
F - Rob De Fulviis
RW - Seth Swenson
D - Nick Trecapelli
G - Andrew D'Agostini

Gryphons Key Recruits
RW - Dylan Gilbert
LW - Cody Thompson
D - Sean Robertson

The last time the Gryphons faced the Windsor Lancers was in the OUA West Final during last season's postseason. At that time, the Windsor Lancers were defending OUA Champions, but were swept by the Gryphons in two straight games in the best-of-three series. This year, the Lancers lose their star goalie Parker Van Buskirk as well as last season's CIS Player of the Year in forward Spencer Pommells. Despite those two big losses, the Lancers once again figure to contend for the Queen's Cup, with Second Team All-Canadian defensemen Kenny Bradford back on the blueline and reigning OUA West Rookie of the Year forward Dylan Denomme back for his sophomore season.

Puck drop for Wednesday night's game is set for 7:30pm in Windsor. The game can be seen live online at OUA.tv.

Follwing their trip to Windsor for the OUA regular season opener, the Gryphons Men's Hockey team will play a pair of exhibition games south of the border against NCAA opponents (Notre Dame and Robert Morris). After that, they travel to the old Maple Leaf Gardens to face Ryerson (Oct. 15) with the home opener at the Gryphon Centre set for Saturday, October 17 versus Waterloo.